Sunday, 12 February 2017

BEE GOOD INTENSIVE HAND REPAIR

Hand cream is one of those things that I feel that a lot of people don't reach for until their hands are already in a sorry state. I've been guilty of it myself, because nothing screams 'you need hand cream!' like tight red knuckles and dry itchy palms, but as I'm sure you've been told countless times by countless people, prevention is always better than cure.

I'm a big fan of Bee Good and use a number of their products on a weekly, if not daily basis. In fact, I had planned to do a round up of my favourite Bee Good bits last year before life got in the way so if that's something you'd like to see, let me know!

You may have read in my last review type post that the companies behind the products are really important to me. Bee Good are a home grown British company started by beekeeper Simon and his wife Caroline, with a lip balm and hand cream created in the couple's kitchen using excess honey and bees wax from the hives. Fast forward a few years and the team has expanded but have very much kept their ethics of natural and cruelty free skincare at the heart of what they do.

Alongside creating a range of wonderful products, Simon and his team continue make charitable donations to help the population of British bees as well as planting wildflower meadows UK wide and educating young British beekeepers in keeping our bees safe. If you'd like to find out more about the work the Bee Good team do, you can read up on it here.

The hand cream itself is consistent in terms of quality and efficacy with all of the other products that I've tried from Bee Good.

It is packed with honey, of course, borage and echium.

I'm sure you're all well aware of the benefits of honey in skin care. Honey has natural anti bacterial properties, as well as anti ageing properties- because hand's age too. It is also known for being extremely moisturising and soothing.

Lesser know however may be borage and echium; both plants known for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as for being moisturising. The borage plant is known in some countries as 'bee plant' or 'bee bread' as its brightly coloured flowers are known for attracting bees. It makes it seem fitting therefore that it's been used in this way. Echium is a good source of omega for vegetarians and vegans and it's this component that helps with the anti-inflammatory side of things. It is also known for its ability to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles by increasing structural proteins in the skin when applied. There is research to suggest that both plants also have a calming effect and may even be beneficial in easing depression.

Bees wax is also popped in there giving the cream a Vitamin E injection. Allantoin in great for skin cell renewal and protection, and propolis is another boost in the anti-bacterial department.

With lots of seemingly wonder-ingredients, you'd expect this cream to do a good job, and you'd not be wrong.

The cream is pretty thick but isn't at all sticky and is absorbed easily without leaving any residue. It smells none offensive, with a barely there midget gems vibe about it which I love.

The cream is marketed as a hand cream but it can be used on other areas prone to dry skin too. I have actually been using it around the edge of my nose this past week to clear up dry patches I've obtained while I've been blowing my nose 24/7 thanks to this god awful cold I'm harbouring at the minute. It's working well. Due to the thickness of the cream though, on the whole, I don't think I'd use it on the entirety of my face but Bee Good do plenty of other great facial moisturisers for that anyway.

From a price point, I don't think £12 is bad at all, there are a number of more pricey hand creams I've tried which haven't matched up in terms of performance. 50ml is a reasonable amount of product too and while it won't last you forever, it isn't going to break the bank to repurchase.

Quick shout out to the packaging too. The pump dispenses just the right amount, there is nothing worse than when you get a tube and you squirt out too much by accident of when the excess ends up going hard and gross round the outside of the lip of the tube.

So yes, I like the Intensive Hand Repair very much. It's seen my hands (and nose) through winter and that is no mean feat.